Considering the voice of the writer and cinematographer. A new journey explores the work of David Mamet and Roger Deakins. Learning about screenwriting through brute force, with and without notes. The Untouchables, seen through the writing of Mamet. Poetics and smart, big, bright light cinema. Watching The Ladykillers and listening for the voice of a film after the Coen Brothers. Telling a story exclusively through the visuals. Alice explains dirtying up the frame.
Contrasty Hitchcock covers. Tributes? Ripoffs? Probably not ripoffs, right? Road Games: two words. Although sometimes Roadgames, one word. The open road and how not to tune your guitar. Murder death. Murder death is how not to. A suspicious lack of jokes about dingos. Americans in the outback. The temporary towns that exist on road trips. What Illinois, California, Austin, and some random part of Australia all share in common. How a placement of extreme violence in one specific location can impact the entire viewing experience. Body Double, two words. One half of this episode, still featuring Barbara Crampton. Brian De Palma finally gets some air time on Double Feature. Voyeurism to the next level. Under the surface – what else do audiences get out of voyeurism? Another option for placing your extreme violence. Continue reading
Fever dreaming! Hausu goes back to back with Sisters! Look at that adorable orange cat. How serious is Katsuya Yorita with Hausu, or what kind of serious, or what the fuck. Getting the keys to the playground (or, the lunatics run the asylum). Revisiting The Room! Hausu is House but not The Room which is not Room. Who is the real Brian De Palma? Unrecognizing Alfred Hitchcock. Famous directors with an underground collection of early horror cult work. Yes, there’s several of them. Hot on the case of the plot of Sisters. What happens in Sisters is really complicated or really obvious. Continue reading
Some musical midnight movies that aren’t asking for approval. Another look at the Phantom of the Paradise. Returning to Chicago’s own Music Box Massacre. Death, Inc. A monster, a veiled threat and a whiney if not eclectic piano player. The Phantom of the Paradise’s iconography and depth as compared to Phantom of the Opera or Faust or other well-known works. Heading to the Forbidden Zone. Something something blackface! Richard Elfman hands down the Mystic Nights of Oingo Boingo. Danny Elfman borrows from his own Forbidden Zone pieces. The Oogie Boogie song originally appears in Forbidden Zone. Danny ELfman’s very first film score, sort of. Pseudo Satan, Oogie Boogie’s song and Dilbert Zone. The Freeway connection. The conspiracy of Forbidden Zone. Is Forbidden Zone satirical or just odd? Oh, also, the crowdfunding campaign for Forbidden Zone 2. Continue reading
